The Asheville citizen. [volume] (Asheville, N.C.) 1885-1889, 1887-10-13
THE GREAT WEST.
EDITORIAL CORRESPONDENCE
FRANKLIN, Oct. Sth, 1887.

| u II L " NAL OOhhEo1 ONOE4N
FRANKLIN, Oct. Sth, 1887.
left AsheYille with that very pleasant
hunting party-or portion ofit-spoken
of in the CITIZEN of the 9th. 1t was q
party that carried life with it, and. had
promise ofsport ahead Oft. There were
bear hunters, and deer hunters, and fox
hunters, not forgetting those who would
not disdain to knock over gobbling wild
turkey or bag stray pheasant; and fish
ing tackle gave token that in leisure mo-
ments the rapid torrent of Hazel or For
ney's Creek might be whipped for the
speckled beauties. There were four
packs of dogs slowed away in the baggage
car. Nat Chambers had a part of the
famous pack that were in at the death of
eleven bear last winter. Capt Fagg had
his fox hounds along, and looked for
great sport from the foTsAaate omen of
finding the paws each Of and gray
fox left accidentally in - pockets of his
Asasa Kan; oyerco6t laid aside pNsF ae rms Of Of
/ IsSsssISaH os swami FRsASTSTE0A E0l!iA Fa Be- 1ah.s
supply the deer; bat every one was hope
full of sport, and every man trustful in
his exemption from an attack of The
"buck ague" should an antlered monarch
threaten to run oyer him.
It was altogether fine body of eighteen
| haidY athletic men Injured to sport, some
of them experienced hunters, and all 60
ing to seek game in the depths of the
deepest of the mountain wilderness,
among the Smoky Mountains, in the un-
broken, almost untrodden, woods that
lie under Clingman's peak, the highest,
noblest, and least visited in the range of
the SDuokies
The party left the train at the mouth
of Noland Creek few miles north of
Charleston. There were horses who were
ready to meet them to take them to
''camp" seven miles up the creek. A
road had previously been cut for horses
up to the camp, the road opened and the
shanties Duilt by direction and at the
expense of Col. Frank Coke, who is the
moving spirit of this delightful ''Week in
the Woodlands" There was nc
} efeminacy in this provision of comfort
able shelter; for at this season of the year
!, 100 feet above sea level, cold and rough
weather may be looked for; and however
defiant the hunters may tie in day light
of rough usage, when night comes, some
approach to home comforts will be as
much priced by them as by the most
luxurious
} Parting with my friends at Webster
Station, l took the hack for this place
via Webster, at which place had the
modification of seeing the Franklin mai
bag taken out to wait its turn, under the
changed schedule, until nexi morning
The hack in which l rode went on, but
the mail did not leave until IA hours later
The mail going and returning now agair
lies over a night at Webster.
On the route up Savannah Greek to the
crossing of the gap of the Cowee noun
tains l saw the effect of water spout
which fell during the past summer on the
crest of the range. Part of the waters
tore down TIE east face and left theil
track of ruin miles down the C:eSk. In
places the road which follows the stream
was obl1terated, and the be6 of the creel
) is now the highway. On the west side
, the torrent formed by the cloud burs
took its course down little tricklins
stream that finds its way into Watauga
! Creek. In the flood that filled it the
water must have been twenty feet deep
and the once innocent little channel is
shapeless chaos of rocks piled up in places
, ten feet high. The rush and the crast
of this mass of rocks and water down ths
long steep mountain side must have
C rried with It something of the terribly
sublime.
T Reaching Franklin about o'clock
had immediate pleasant evidence of i'm
: stretched the length of the broad street
making every thing visible. 1t wa!
neither electricity nor gas; but the more
| hmm hla nacNlinn Iil &c
left nothing more to be desired unit
, Frauklin also shall have felt the inspirin!
influence of rail roads.
Istopped at the Britain House, former
4. ly kept by Mr.. and Mrs. y. G. Altman
t now by Mr. S. P. Britain, with the mos
$ efficient aid of Lis wife and daughters
1t will never do for me to say it is bette
kept than before. 1t was always to M
home like place. 1t is saving much tt
say that feel still at home in the Brit
. tain House, and that there is nothing &
g be added toits comforts and excellencies
c Looking out this morning from tn
! long piazza upon which my room open
t 1 had view of another marked step O
l improvement. The old wooden Johnston
: store opposite vas torn away, and in it
r place were going up two large briCI
8 stores, two, perhaps to be, three storie
v high, with large open glass fronts, ant
in every respect to be city stores. Th
l.. Elliotts, those competent architects ant
builders, have the work in charge, anC
that is saying enough. George Jones
2 Esq, has a new brick Office. next tn
: Britain House nearly completed; ant
e that is all the building at present goin'
! on, on the main street But on thi
q street, Major Higdon not long since com
i pleted a fine brick store. now occupied
By Mr.. c. D. Child. as a hardware ant
d agricultural store; and the size and com
4 pleteness of the stock shows that hi
d enterprise is not misplaced.
Mr.. Child took me this afternoon to tn
street parallel with the main street, lik
our Church street, devoted to churches
e and educational buildings. The groun
Z on the north of the street rises into q lon
J. high ridge, opening upon a magnifcen
u prospect in every direction, and d
$ around the horizon; and on this the ne'
i Academy, externally a snowy buildin
. of brick, the Methodist church, the Mas
g onic Hail, and the new Episcopal churc
are situated. visited none but this las
q It is a small building, of brick, br
architecturally little gem, the design {
g. Renwick of New York, with som
notifications to. conform to the funC
available. It is what might be called
rural Gothic in style with low walls, b1
high pointed gables, open ceiling, ar
T. trussed roof, of oak; and the interior wi
be finished in native woods. The build
is Mr.. John Cockrum of Asheville. tt
d. walls are up and the roof will be put {
ee next week. There is an appropriatene
On in giving up this, the highest parts of Il